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Landsat-7 ETM+ On-Orbit Reflective-Band Radiometric
Stability and Absolute Calibration
Brian L. Markham’, Kurtis J. Thome2,J ulia A. Barsi3,E d Kaita3,
Dennis L. Helder4,J ohn L. Barker’, Pat Scaramuzza5
The Landsat-7 spacecraft carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+)
instrument. This instrument images the Earth land surface in eight parts of the
electromagnetic spectrum, termed spectral bands. These spectral images are used to
monitor changes in the land surface, so a consistent relationship, i.e., calibration, between
the image data and the Earth surface brightness, is required. The ETM+ has several on-
board calibration devices that are used to monitor this calibration. The best on-board
calibration source employs a flat white painted reference panel and has indicated changes
of between 0.5% to 2% per year in the ETM+ response, depending on the spectral band.
However, most of these changes are believed to be caused by changes in the reference
panel, as opposed to changes in the instrument’s sensitivity. This belief is based partially
on on-orbit calibrations using instrumented ground sites and observations of “invariant
sites”, hyper-arid sites of the Sahara and Arabia. Changes determined from these data
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sets indicate are 0.1% 0.6% per year. Tests and comparisons to other sensors also
indicate that the uncertainty of the calibration is at the 5% level.
‘Landsat Project Science Office, Code 923, NASNGSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771
2O ptical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ,8 5721
3Science,S ystems and Applications, Inc, Code 923, GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Electrical Engineering Dept., South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007
SAIC/EDC/SSB/IAS, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD 57198
Landsat-7 ETM+ On-Orbit Reflective-Band Radiometric
Stability and Absolute Calibration
Brian L. Markham’, Kurtis J. Thome’, Julia A. Barsi3,E d Kaita3,
Dennis L. Helder4,J ohn L. Barker’, Pat Scararnu~za~
Abstract -- Launched in April 1999, the Landsat-7 ETM+ instrument is in its fifth year of
operation. The ETM+ instrument has been the most stable of any of the Landsat
instruments, in both the reflective and thermal channels. To date, the best on-board
calibration source for the reflective bands has been the Full Aperture Solar Calibrator, a
solar diffuser based system, which has indicated changes of between 1-2% per year in the
ETM+ gain for bands 1-4, and 8 and less than 0.5%/year for bands 5 and 7. However,
most of this change is believed to be caused by changes in the solar diffuser panel, as
opposed to a change in the instrument’s gain. This belief is based partially on vicarious
calibrations and observations of “invariant sites”, hyper-arid sites of the Sahara and
Arabia. Weighted average slopes determined from these data sets indicate changes of
0.1% - 0.4% per year for bands 1-4, and 8 and 0.6% per year for bands 5 and 7. Absolute
calibration of the reflective bands of the ETM+ is consistent with vicarious observations
and other sensors generally at the 5% level, though there appear to be some systematic
differences.
‘Landsat Project Science Office, Code 923, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771
20ptical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ,8 5721
3Science,S ystems and Applications, Inc, Code 923, GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 2077 1
Electrical Engineering Dept., South Dakota State University, Brooking, SD 57007
SAIC/EDC/SSB/IAS,E ROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD 57198
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I. INTRODUCTION
Landsat-7 with its Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument has been
operationally acquiring coverage of the Earth’s surface since late June 1999. Salient
characteristics of the ETM+ instrument are presented in Table 1. The ETM+ instrument
is similar to the TM instruments on Landsats-4 and 5. The primary differences are the
addition of a 15 meter panchromatic band, an improved resolution of the thermal band
from 120 meters to 60 meters and the addition of two on-board radiometric calibrators.
These two calibration devices, the Full Aperture Solar Calibrator (FASC) and the Partial
Aperture Solar Calibrator (PASC), along with the incorporation of an Image Assessment
System (IAS) within the ground data processing system, are designed to facilitate
improvement in the radiometric calibration of the ETM+ data to 5% absolute uncertainty.
Prior to launch the ETM+ instrument was radiometrically calibrated and its radiometric
stability verified in ambient and thermal-vacuum environments. Likewise, the on-board
radiometric calibration devices were characterized prior to launch. The procedures for the
pre-launch tests are presented in [l] and some of the results are presented in [2, 31.
Results from the pre-launch radiometric calibration tests that are required for processing
ETM+ data are stored primarily within the Calibration Parameter File (CPF), which is
generated and maintained by IAS personnel at the United States Geological Survey
(USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC). When a radiometrically calibrated scene is ordered
by a customer from EDC, the uncalibrated data are extracted from the archive and
processed using the most recent version of the CPF applicable to the calendar year
quarter in which the data were acquired. At launch, the CPF was populated with the best
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available calibration information available at that time. After launch each CPF may be
updated with improved information. In standard radiometric processing, the detector-by-
detector gains are read from the CPF and the detector-by-detector offsets are measured
for each scan by viewing the back of the Internal Calibrator shutter flag. The bias is
subtracted on a line-by-line basis and the net signal divided by the gain to provide the
calibrated radiance value.
The Landsat-7 system including the spacecraft, instrument, ground stations and
processing system is currently operated by the USGS. NASA, which developed
Landsat-7, maintains a role, through the Landsat Project Science Office (LPSO) at
NASA’s GSFC. This role includes assisting in the radiometric calibration and
characterization of the ETM+ instrument and data through revised calibration procedures
and parameters. Additionally, NASA, through GSFC, has funded investigators to verify
the calibration of the ETM+ by the use of ground targets, a procedure referred to as
vicarious or ground-look calibration. Twice a year, the LPSO, IAS and external
investigator personnel meet and discuss radiometric and geometric results for Landsat-7
ETM+. This paper presents the combined results of this group relevant to the absolute
radiometric calibration and stability of the ETM+ instrument and its data products.
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11. ON-BOARD CALIBRATION (OBC) SYSTEMS
The ETM+ has three on-board calibration systems: (1) the Internal Calibrator (IC), (2)
the Partial Aperture Solar Calibrator (PASC) and (3) the Full Aperture Solar Calibrator
(FASC). Each device provides independent information about the calibration of the
ETM+ reflective bands, but each is subject to its own degradations that can complicate
understanding of the ETM+ calibration itself.
A. Internal Calibrator (IC)
The IC consists of (1) two tungsten vacuum lamps, (2) power supplies that each provide
a constant voltage across a lamp in series with a resistor, (3) a calibration shutter flag that
oscillates in synchronization with the scan mirror, and (4)a set of optics that pipes the
light up the shutter flag to the primary focal plane. The shutter blocks the earth light
from the focal plane at the end of each mirror scan and provides the detectors with a dark
target followed by the light pulse from the internal lamps [l]. The dark region is used to
measure the bias or offset of the detectors for each scan and the light pulse gives a
measure of the gain of the detectors. Prior to launch the IC is calibrated by comparing the
net integrated pulses for each detector for each lamp (pulse values minus bias values) to
the detectors’ responses to a calibrated external integrating sphere [ 11. The locations of
the shutter region to be used to measure the detectors biases are stored in the CPF along
with the effective radiances of the light pulses for each of the lamps for each detector.
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In pre-launch testing, the responses of the detectors to the internal calibrator lamps varied
as shown in Table 2 and Figure 1. These variations appeared related to changes in the
environmental conditions of atmospheric pressure (i.e., whether the tests were in ambient
or vacuum) and instrument telemetry points of lamp current and temperature. Despite
extensive pre-launch testing, no consistent correlations were found and no hardware or
processing software correction was made.
On orbit, the IC data are analyzed from approximately 5 scenes per day processed by the
Image Assessment System (IAS) and all the scenes processed by the Landsat Product
Generation System (LPGS). This analysis provides bias levels and apparent gains for
each of the ETM+ detectors. These values are stored in the IAS database and regularly
queried to provide the current trends.
Lamp 1 has been routinely used since launch on Landsat-7. Lamp 2 was used during the
initial 90 days and then not used again for about 3 years. Figures 2-5 present the results
of the IC gains. The absolute gains are based on pre-launch radiances for the IC from the
June 9, 1998 calibration of the IC. These pre-launch radiances and the calculated gains
are subject to the additional uncertainty related to the instability of the IC during pre-
launch testing as shown in Table 2 and Figure 1. Post-launch, both a warm-up
phenomena and apparent temperature sensitivity have been observed for the Internal
Calibrator [4]. These results are filtered to include only those acquisitions between 5 and
15 minutes after lamp turn-on in order to avoid the majority of the warm-up behavior of
the lamp.
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B. Full Aperture Solar Calibrator (FASC}
The FASC is a deployable diffuser panel. This aluminum panel, painted with YB71 flat
white paint can be commanded to deploy in front of the ETM+ aperture. When deployed,
the normal to the panel is oriented approximately 23.5" from the instrument line of sight
for nadir viewing. The panel is normally deployed shortly before the spacecraft exits
eclipse and is kept deployed until after the spacecraft crosses the terminator. During this
period of time the solar zenith angle on the panel varies from greater than 90" to less than
70". For the solar zenith angles from 90' to around 65", the panel is fully illuminated by
the sun, i.e., without obstruction from instrument or spacecraft structure. Prior to launch,
the reflectance of the diffuser panel was measured at illumination angles of 65", 70" and
72", view zenith angles of 18.5, 23.5 and 28.5" and relative azimuth angles of 0", 15",
30", 45" and 60". The orientation of the panel was also measured. On-orbit, the pre-
launch measured reflectance factors and orientation angles and the post launch measured
responses are used to calculate the detector gains [l]. A post launch update of the panel
orientation angles was performed [3] and the location of the pixels extracted for the gain
calculation adjusted to reduce the impact of localized degradation of the panel observed
post-launch [3]. Figures 2-5 present the FASC calibration results.
C. Partial Aperture Solar Calibrator (PASC)
The PASC is a set of auxiliary optics located in the ETM+ sunshade in front of the scan
mirror that provide a direct view of the sun through a small aperture (about 4 mm). This
aperture and a reflection from an uncoated silica flat reduce the signal sufficiently to
h
bring the signal to below the saturation radiance of the ETM+ instrument. Large
increases in the responses of the ETM+ detector to the sun signals through the PASC
occurred during the first 6 months of ETM+ operations so the sun signals saturated for all
but bands 4, 5 and 7 when operated in low gain mode. These increases have been
hypothesized to be due to a build up of contamination on the uncoated silica flats 131.
Additionally, bands 5 and 7 show strong scan angle dependent responses to the PASC.
PASC results currently add little to our understanding of the instruments radiometric
calibration or stability, though the data have proved useful for separating instrument
temperature sensitivity from the IC's temperature sensitivity (see below).
D. Temperature Sensitivity
The temperature of the primary focal plane of the ETM+ is not controlled. In normal
operations it varies in temperature from about 11" C to 14" C, with temperatures largely
determined by the usage level of the instrument. During periods of reduced operations,
e.g., after orbital inclination maneuvers, the temperature may drop as low as 5.5" C.
Special acquisitions during these periods are processed to look for temperature sensitivity
and other effects. Figure 6 shows the IC and PASC results versus silicon focal plane
temperature. Significant temperature sensitivity is observed using the IC results, namely
an apparent increasing response with decreasing temperature. However, the PASC data
show no corresponding sensitivity. This indicates that the temperature sensitivity is most
likely related to a variation in output of the IC with temperature. The other primary focal
plane bands show temperature sensitivities as well, but these are also likely due to IC
temperature effects.
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E. Gain Stability based on on-board calibration systems
Based on the combined results from the FAX and each of the two lamps in the IC,
plausible statements about the ETM+ gain stability relative to the calibrator’s stability
are:
1) The changes in response of all bands, particularly the primary focal plane bands,
during the first 6 months of on-orbit operation are due to changes in the output of
the IC as opposed to changes in the gain of the detectors or transmission of the
spectral filters.
a. The lack of change in response to the FASC during this same period of
time provides the primary supporting information to this statement, though
the first FAXa cquisition was not performed until 45 days after launch.
b. The difference in magnitude of the changes between lamp 1 and lamp 2
also supports this statement.
2) The increase in response of the ETM+ to the IC lamp 1 in bands 4 and 8 between
6 months to 2 years after launch is due to an increase in the output of the IC
system as opposed to an increase in sensitivity of the detectors or transmission of
the spectral filters
a. The lack of increase in response to the FASC during this time period in the
primary supporting evidence for this statement
b. The difficulty in providing mechanisms by which the sensitivity would
increase also supports this statement
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3) The change in slope of the response to IC lamp 1 at about 2 years post launch is
due to a change in the degradation of the IC lamp 1 system as opposed to a
change in degradation of the detectors or filters.
a. This same change is not observed in the FASC results
b. This change is observed in all the bands on the instrument, which makes it
less likely to be a detector or filter effect as the detectors are of two
different types and are spread across two focal planes.
4) The changes observed in instrument response to the IC lamp 2 (used infrequently)
and the FASC are consistent with instrument response degradation.
The FASC provides a full system calibration, whereas the IC system exercises
only the focal plane and aft optics (for the cold focal plane bands), so any
fore-optics degradation would cause a difference between the two trends.
Thus the differences between degradations associated with lamp 2 IC, which
are generally lower than those associated with the FASC, could be a
representation of fore-optics degradation
5) The changes observed using the FASC should be considered an upper limit on the
changes that are instrument sensitivity related.
A non-uniform contamination or degradation of the panel is occurring (Figure
7). Although the data collection window has been adjusted to coincide with
the least contaminated portion of the panel, some panel degradation is likely
still present.
6) The best estimates of the ETM+ gain stability with time based on the OBC
systems are shown in Table 3. These are based on a linear fit to the FASC data,
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